Polk City Man Arrested for Impersonating a Lawyer and Solicitation

Detectives from the PCSO Bureau of Special Investigations arrested a Polk City man yesterday, January 3, 2007, after he told a female victim that he was a lawyer and would give her free legal services if she performed sex acts on him.

Leonard W. Yanke, Jr., DOB 1/6/51, of 314 Honey Bee Lane in Polk City, who is a paralegal, owns and operates Polk County Document Services out of his home. In November 2006, he met a woman who was interested in trying to receive early termination from her probation and needed legal advice. Yanke advised the woman that he was a lawyer and that he would assist her with her legal problems “pro bono.”

At the end of November, Yanke went to the woman’s house (she is on house arrest as part of her probation) to review her probation paperwork. At that time he advised her that he could not work for her “pro bono” but that she could pay him in trade. He told her that she could perform sex acts on him as the trade.

At that point the female victim contacted law enforcement, and undercover detectives were able to obtain audio and video recordings of the suspect telling the victim that he was a lawyer, and offering the legal services in exchange for sexual acts. When the suspect arrived at the victim’s home yesterday, detectives who were there waiting placed him into custody without incident.

Judge David Langford raised the suspect’s bond to $25,000 due to his prior conviction and prison sentence. Yanke was sentenced to 9 years in state prison in 1989 for Lewd/Lascivious Acts in the Presence of a Child, and Rape.He was booked in yesterday and bonded out of the Polk County Jail today on charges of Unlicensed Practice of Law, Solicitation of Legal Services, Compelling Another to Become a Prostitute, and Assignation (Meeting for the Purpose of) for Prostitution.